Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko
Estonian footballer and coach
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Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko (born 29 December 1981) is an Estonian football coach and former player who currently manages FCI Levadia. Zahovaiko played for several professional clubs and was also a member of the Estonian national team.[3]
|
Zahovaiko with Flora in 2009 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko | ||
| Date of birth | 29 December 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Lelle, Estonia | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Lelle | |||
| Flora Kehtna | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1996 | Lelle SK | 2 | (1) |
| 1997–1998 | Riigikogu SK | 1 | (2) |
| 1998–1999 | Flora Kehtna | 19 | (9) |
| 1999–2009 | Flora | 140 | (121) |
| 2000 | → Warrior Valga (loan) | 23 | (4) |
| 2000 | → Lelle | 5 | (1) |
| 2001–2002 | → Tulevik (loan) | 46 | (26) |
| 2001–2002 | → Elva | 12 | (5) |
| 2003 | → Pärnu Tervis | 2 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | → Flora II | 6 | (3) |
| 2007 | → Al Kuwait Kaifan (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | U.D. Leiria | 13 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Debreceni VSC | 2 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Debreceni VSC II | 4 | (2) |
| 2012 | KuPS | 6 | (1) |
| 2012–2014 | Sillamäe Kalev | 36 | (20) |
| 2015–2016 | Paide Linnameeskond | 53 | (36) |
| International career | |||
| Estonia U16 | 2 | (0) | |
| Estonia U17 | 5 | (0) | |
| Estonia U19 | 2 | (0) | |
| 2000–2003 | Estonia U21 | 15 | (2) |
| 2003–2011 | Estonia[1] | 39 | (8) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2017–2021 | Paide Linnameeskond | ||
| 2022–2023 | Real de Banjul | ||
| 2024–2025 | FCI Levadia U17[2] | ||
| 2026– | FCI Levadia | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
FC Flora Tallinn
In 2006, he was the world's most effective top division goal scorer with 1.2 goals per game.[4][5] At the start of 2007, he was loaned out to Al Kuwait Kaifan, but after featuring in just a few friendly games for the Kuwaiti side he was told that his contract was invalid and he was sent back to Estonia. Both his club and his agent sent a complaint to FIFA.
U.D. Leiria
On 30 December 2009, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Portuguese team U.D. Leiria.[6] In the process, he became the first Estonian to play in the top division of Portugal. In the first season he played in 6 league games and one cup game, but failed to score in these.[7]
Kuopion Palloseura
In April 2012 Zahovaiko joined Finnish Veikkausliiga club Kuopion Palloseura.[8]
International career
He has played a total of 39 games for Estonia national football team, scoring 8 goals. His first international goal was against Ecuador in a friendly game. He scored his eighth goal against Uruguay in a 2–0 win game.[9]
Coaching career
Zahovaiko was named as the head coach of Meistriliiga club Paide Linnameeskond after retiring as a player for them in 2016.[10] He led the club's transition to fully professional football club and earned Paide Linnameeskond their first league medals by finishing the 2020 season in 2nd place.
He was hired as head coach by Gambian club Real de Banjul in 2022 and led the club to lift the 2022/23 Gambian top division title.[11] In the same year, Gambian sports journalists elected Zahovaiko as the coach of the year.[12]
Career statistics
Correct as of 27 October 2011.
| Season | League level | Country | Club | First team | Reserve team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Goals | Games | Goals | ||||
| 1995–96 | 4 | Estonia | Lelle SK | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997–98 | 4 | Estonia | Riigikogu SK | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 4 | Estonia | FC Flora Kehtna | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1 | Estonia | FC Flora Tallinn | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 1 | Estonia | FC Warrior Valga | 23 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 2001 | 1 | Estonia | JK Tulevik Viljandi | 21 | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| 2002 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 3 | |||
| 2003 | 1 | Estonia | FC Flora Tallinn | 27 | 14 | 2 | 4 |
| 2004 | 22 | 28 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2005 | 15 | 19 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2006 | 21 | 25 | 5 | 3 | |||
| 2006–07 | 1 | Kuwait | Al Kuwait Kaifan | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 2007 | 1 | Estonia | FC Flora Tallinn | 17 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2009 | 23 | 13 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | 1 | Portugal | U.D. Leiria | 6 | 0 | — | — |
| 2010–11 | 6 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 2011–12 | 1 | Hungary | Debreceni VSC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003-02-13 | Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito |  Ecuador |
1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly match | |||||
| 2 | 2003-12-17 | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam |  Saudi Arabia |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly match | |||||
| 3 | 2004-02-16 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, La Valletta |  Malta |
1–1 | 2–5 | 2004 Malta Tournament | |||||
| 4 | 2004-06-11 | A.Le Coq Arena, Tallinn |  Macedonia |
1–3 | 2–4 | Friendly match | |||||
| 5 | 2008-03-26 | A.Le Coq Arena, Tallinn |  Canada |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly match | |||||
| 6 | 2008-06-04 | A.Le Coq Arena, Tallinn |  Faroe Islands |
1–0 | 4–3 | Friendly match | |||||
| 7 | 2008-06-04 | A.Le Coq Arena, Tallinn | Faroe Islands |
2–0 | 4–3 | Friendly match | |||||
| 8 | 2011-03-25 | A.Le Coq Arena, Tallinn |  Uruguay |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly match | |||||
| Correct as of 7 October 2015[13] | |||||||||||
Honours
Individual
- Meistriliiga top goalscorers: 2004
- Estonian Silverball: 2008
- Meistriliiga Player of the Month: April 2015,[14] September 2016[15]
- Meistriliiga Manager of the Month: July 2019,[16] August 2020,[17] March/April 2021,[18] October 2021,[19]
